Combined bird bath and feeding station



May 26, 1959 w. c1 COTTONGIM COMBINED BIRD BATH AND FEEDING STATION Filed Oct. 25, 1956 ATTORNY United States Patent Ofiice 2,887,988 Patented May 26, 1959 COMBINED BIRD BATH AND FEEDING STATION Willard C. 'Cottongim, Atlanta, Ga.

Application October 25, 1956, Serial No. 618,330

1 Claim. (Cl. 11951) This invention relates to a combined bird bath and feeding station for birds, and provides a device which may be variously arranged for both indoor and outdoor use.

A wide variety of structures have long been in use to provide bird baths or bird feeding stations; however, for the most part such stations are for either the bird bath or the feeding station, and relatively few are designed as combination structures. It is also customary that such devices be constructed as either indoor or outdoor stations and few have been designed to be adaptable for both indoor and outdoor use. While such devices are frequently manufactured as individual component parts which may be readily assembled in one final form, it is desirable that some selectivity be provided with respect to the assembly so as to provide multiple arrangements which may be chosen as the arrangement designed for use at any given time. It is also desirable that such devices may be adjustable as to height, and further that the support be such as to preclude access to the bath or the feeding means by cats, squirrels or other predatory animals.

It is therefore among the objects of the present invention to provide a novel and improved combined bird bath and feeding station which will be artistic and attractive, simple in construction, readily assembled in multiple arrangements and one particularly designed to meet the demands of economic manufacture.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a structure of the character defined which may be selectively assembled for use as either an indoor or an outdoor station, the conversion being readily accomplished without the use of special tools or special skills.

Another object of the present invention is to provide in a device of the character described a relatively thin, smooth, vertical standard disposing the feeding and bathing facilities at a selected elevation such as to preclude its use as a climbing means by animals by which they might otherwise have access to the birds, the bath or the feeding facilities.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a station of the character described including readily invertible means for supporting certain of the elements so as to provide for the owner a selection of arrangements whereby individual tastes may be accommodated.

Numerous other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from a consideration of the following specification taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of the invention arranged as an indoor station with the feed receptacles disposed above the bath.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the same device arranged for outdoor use and with the feed receptacles disposed below the bath.

Fig. 3 is a detail exploded view illustrating the parts of the present form of the invention.

While certain novel aspects of the present invention may be constructed and arranged in various shapes and configurations to suit the artistic taste, that form of the invention here shown by way of illustration may be broadly defined as including a straight, slender, rigid standard preferably formed of interjoined pieces so as to readily provide for variations in the height thereof and to preclude its use as a climbing means. At the lower end thereof means are provided for removably applying a pedestal base so as to accommodate the device for use indoors, or, if desired, the pedestal may be removed and the standard inserted in the ground to support the device for outside use. Mounted on the upper end of the standard there is a transversely extending generally U-shaped bar which may be secured at the top of the standard in either upright or inverted position as desired. At the outer end of the legs of the U-shaped structure feeding and/ or bathing cups or receptacles are secured, it being understood that when the legs of the U-shaped members are in the downwardly extending position the cups are disposed face upward in the direction of the legs to form open top receptacles, and when the legs of the U-shaped members are in the upwardly extending position the receptacles will be faced away from the legs so as to again dispose them in an open top position but elevated with respect to the first position. In either upright or inverted position of the cross member, there is adapted to be secured at the center thereof above the upper end of the standard a further receptacle which is preferably used as a bath and thus may be secured by Watertight arrangement.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, it will be noted from Fig. 3 that the vertical standard is preferably formed of interconnected telescopically united tubular sections 10, 11 and 12. Such sections are preferably of circular cross-section and may be formed of metal to provide a smooth surface precluding any scaling of the standard by animals. It is of course understood that the invention is not concerned with the length and number of the interconnected sections but it will be observed that since the sections are uniform with respect to their end to end connection a greater or less number of the sections may be interjoined to adjust the vertical height of the upper end of the standard which supports the receptacles.

As indicated, the lowermost standard section 10 is provided with a reduced terminal portion 13 adapted to telescopically fit within a central recess 14 of a base or pedestal member 15. When the standard is disposed within the pedestal there is thus provided a structure well designed to be disposed within a home or otfice; however, as indicated in Fig. 2 if it is desired to use the device as an outdoor station the pedestal may be discarded, if desired, and the terminal end 13 will provide appropriate means for inserting the standard in the ground for support therefrom in vertical position, or else pedestal may be retained for outdoor use also.

For supporting one pair of receptacles in transverse spaced parallel relation on either side of the upper end of the standard 10, there is provided a substantially U-shaped transverse bracket 16, a central horizontal portion 17 of which is pierced as at 18 to receive complementary upper and lower securing elements 19 and 20, respectively. The elements 19 and 20 engage opposite sides of the portion 17 and provide for the removable securement of the bracket 16 at the upper end of the upper standard section 12 by means of a bolt 21. The threaded terminal end 22 of the bolt 21 is adapted to engage the internal threads 23 of the terminal bore at the upper end of the upper section 12. As will be noted from Fig. 3, the bolt 21 is also adapted to secure in upwardly open position a receptacle 24 through the central bottom aperture 25 of which bolt 21 is adapted to extend. A washer 26 and a sea ing disc 27 are adapted to be secured by the bolt about the aperture 25 so as to preclude fluid leakage when the device is assembled. While it is a matter of choice as to which of the various receptacles are used for what purpose, the sealing arrangement above referred to renders the receptacle particularly adapted to hold water and to thus provide a bird bath, of course the scaling is needed on whichever receptacle is chosen to hold water but is not needed if that particular receptacle is to hold food.

As indicated from Figs. 1 and 2 the member 16 may be attached by the bolt 21 and the elements 19 and 20 either in position with its arms 30 extending downwardly as in Fig. 2 or with the arms extending upwardly as in Fig. 1. Attached at the internally threaded extremity of each of the arms 30 by bolts 31, and washers 32 there are provided the receptacles 33 which are attached in position to dispose them in open top position adapted to receive water, food, shell or the like. Receptacles 33 are preferably joined by side bracing rods 35 which may form rests or perches for the birds as well as uniting the structure to make it more rigid and to preclude inadvertent misalignment.

From the foregoing it will be seen that the present invention provides for various arrangements of the device with the receptacle 24 centrally disposed either below the receptacles 33 as in Fig. 1 or above the receptacles 33 as in Fig. 2. It will also be noted that in each instance the receptacles are secured in such manner as to close their central apertures to sealingly support the receptacles against leakage of water being used in any selected one thereof. Furthermore, it will be noted that the removability of the base will provide for use of the device either indoors and on porches or outdoors, and the formation of the standard by interjoined sections readily accommodates the device for assembly at various levels.

It will of course be understood that in the practice of the invention numerous changes, modifications and the full use of equivalents may be resorted to without departing from the spirit or scope thereof as defined in the appended claim.

I claim:

A combined bird bath and feeding station including a central supporting standard, detachable means including a selectively disposable U-shaped bracket having internally threaded ends, said bracket being detachable and adapted for selective securernent to said standard in either upright or inverted position, a pair of open top centrally apertured receptacles, bolts passing through the apertures in said receptacles and engaging said internally threaded ends for securing said receptacles to said bracket and closing said apertures, together with a third detachable receptacle, and a single securing means detachably securing said third receptacle and said bracket to said standard.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,844,410 Schalk Feb. 9, 1932 2,466,288 Waterman Apr. 5, 1949 2,749,882 Butker June 12, 1956 

